Development of a thin layer chromatographic method for the determination of coenzyme Q10 produced by Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Coenzyme Q(10) is biosynthesized by living organisms and considered a medically necessary health constituent thereby drawing the attention of the market. Naturally-producing microbes are commonly used for the commercial production of coenzyme Q(10). The detection of extracted coenzyme Q(10) is usually done by high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry methods which require sophisticated instrumentation and trained personnel. However, routine quality assessment is required rapidly at multiple steps during the large-scale production process which necessitates the development of a rapid and relatively easy method for coenzyme Q(10) detection. In the present study, a thin-layer chromatography method is developed for the rapid detection of coenzyme Q(10) extracted from the natural producer Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Various mobile phases were screened for the thin-layer chromatography of coenzyme Q(10) and the optimum separation-detection was observed with methanol and ethyl acetate (8:2, v/v). The same extracted coenzyme Q(10) was also analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (the standard method of detection), showing a similar profile as with commercially available standard coenzyme Q(10). Furthermore, extract from unstained thin-layer chromatography spot showed the characteristic spectrum (ultraviolet-visible) as with standard coenzyme Q(10). Conclusively, a simple and inexpensive method for the rapid detection of coenzyme Q(10) was developed to aid in the commercial production of this medically important coenzyme.

Automated summary

In this study, a thin-layer chromatography method was developed for the rapid detection of coenzyme Q(10) extracted from Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Methanol and ethyl acetate (8:2, v/v) were found to be the optimum mobile phase for thin-layer chromatography. The results were similar to those obtained from high-performance liquid chromatography, indicating that the developed method is simple and cost-effective for the commercial production of coenzyme Q(10).